The Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) will formally assess the state of the local rental market post-wildfire amid reports of major rent increases.
Michael Fark, municipal director of recovery, told council on Tuesday (March 4) that there had been concerns raised in the community for some time now about increases in rent and the changing of terms and conditions for residential properties.
“It’s beyond anecdotal,” Fark said. “Now we have received significant information to support the fact that this is becoming a considerable concern.”
Some Jasper tenants are reportedly facing rent increases of nearly 50 per cent amid a housing crisis exacerbated by last summer’s wildfire, which destroyed 820 housing units and left 2,000 residents in need of housing.
Prior to the wildfire, Jasper already had a zero per cent vacancy rate and an estimated 600-unit deficit.
NDP housing critic Janis Irwin has spoken out about these rent increases after hearing concerns from multiple Jasper residents.
The JRCC, a partnership between the municipality and Parks Canada that is guiding the community through the wildfire recovery process, will be reaching out to both tenants and landlords to conduct a fuller assessment to understand the scale and scope of the rent increases.
“Based on a full and proper assessment, we may come back to council with an update and potential recommendations for further steps, but we are seeing enough areas of concern there that concrete action by the JRCC is required to fully assess the state and scale of the challenge,” Fark said.
Lindsey Gartner, a community advocate who helped organize a rally in late January calling for interim housing, said in an interview that she had heard of residents facing “exorbitant rental increases.”
“Whether they are homeowners or they’re renters, if they are pushed out of the community due to skyrocketing rental increases, evictions or the difficulty in rebuilding, we are going to see our community change, and we’ll be losing a lot of great community members,” Gartner said.
“Obviously, it’s very concerning to be seeing these rental increases, especially in the wake of such a devastating event,” she added.
Gartner noted because the Residential Tenancy Act provides a framework for landlord and tenant relations in Alberta, the municipality would likely not be able to do much other than advocate to the provincial government.
“What we need to see is a multi-sector effort between the public sector, non-profit, charity and community advocacy to bring these problems to light and really come together to protect renters from these rental increases and evictions,” she said.
She added the interim housing that recently arrived was a “huge positive relief” for the community and a step in the right direction. She also called for ongoing solidarity within the community to work toward a recovery that supported the vulnerable and allowed residents to stay in Jasper.
“It’s going to require these continued efforts to make sure that Jasper can be a place that’s livable for people that have lived here and want to continue to live here,” she said.
